He coached both Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybantsa in high school. So who's better?

LAWRENCE, Kan. — The story of Darryn Peterson’s one-year Kansas Jayhawks basketball career will forever be intertwined with that of BYU star freshman AJ Dybantsa.

The two are competing with Duke’s Cameron Boozer to be selected No. 1 overall in the 2026 NBA draft.

When it was learned that No. 14 Kansas would face No. 13 BYU on Saturday inside Allen Fieldhouse, numerous folks — from NBA/college basketball fans to pro scouts — circled this game on their calendars.

One of those people? Peterson. His rivalry with Dybantsa dates to their high school days, when Dybantsa was ranked second in the class of 2025 by 247Sports, Peterson first.

There’s probably no one who understands their rivalry better than Prolific Prep coach Ryan Bernardi, who coached both players during their prep careers. He coached Peterson in his senior year of high school and Dybantsa in his junior season.

“Darryn, one of the big reasons he came to Prolific ... going into his senior year, national media had him widely considered as third (in the class),” Bernardi told The Kansas City Star. “One of the big reasons was the head-to-head matchup with Boozer and the head-to-head matchup with AJ. Darryn always felt he was the best player and hasn’t had the opportunity to show (it).

“Darryn is pretty focused and pretty intrinsically motivated, but I will say in those games you get to see a little different side of him, which is fun.”

Peterson missed KU’s last game, against K-State, with a twisted ankle. The Jayhawks (15-5, 5-2 Big 12) beat the Wildcats, 86-62, Saturday. But he should be available to play against BYU (17-3, 5-2).

“I think he’s excited to play,” Bernardi said. “He’s hopeful that the ankle is better. ... I know he’s very excited to get back out to a 100 percent to help Kansas win.”

To better understand the rivalry between Peterson and Dybantsa, let’s take a trip down memory lane.

Peterson is undefeated vs. Dybantsa

Heading into the Peterson’s senior year, he’d never faced Dybantsa. Not in AAU and not in high school ball.

But the pair faced each other twice during Peterson’s senior season. And, naturally, there was a lot of hype. Both teams (Prolific Prep and Utah Prep) were ranked top 10 nationally. According to Bernardi, Peterson was focused on becoming the nation’s top player — and there was a little extra motivation, as he was playing for the school that Dybantsa had left.

In both matchups, Peterson came out on top. The first game took place in December 2024. Peterson finished with 32 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists as Prolific Prep beat Utah Prep, 76-70.

But the second game is the one that many remember. Peterson scored 58 points, grabbed seven rebounds and had five assists. He also hit a game-winning 3-pointer that gave Prolific Prep an 88-86 victory.

Dybantsa, meanwhile, had 49 points, nine rebounds and three assists.

Bernardi said Peterson scored 47 of his points while being guarded by Dybantsa.

“It was just two pretty dominant wins ... also, people forget that Darryn and AJ were on the same McDonald’s All-American team and Darryn won the MVP of that game,” Bernardi said. “So, in Darryn’s senior year in every opportunity imaginable, he got the best of AJ.”

The feel around their upcoming matchup is different. Peterson has played in just 10 games this season due to a variety of health concerns. He’s currently dealing with cramping issues; they have prevented him from playing more than 32 minutes in any game this season.

There’s also been a sprained ankle, a hamstring strain, a separate quad issue and an illness. Yet Peterson still averaging 21.6 points and 4.6 rebounds in 27.2 minutes per game for KU.

Dybantsa has played in all 20 of BYU’s games in 2025-26. The 6-foot-9 forward from Brockton, Massachusetts has averaged 23.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists for the Cougars.

“Darryn has had a tough go at things with injuries and he’s had a little bit of a disjointed season from the fact of availability in the lineup,” Bernardi said. “AJ has played every minute of every game and has logged a lot of reps and a lot of game experience. So this will be interesting to see how this one plays out.”

As for who’s the better player? Well, Bernardi has a clear favorite.

So who’s better: Peterson or Dybantsa?

Bernardi believes Peterson is the best player he’s ever coached.

That isn’t small praise, mind you. Bernardi has coached other star players, too, such as Tyran Stokes. He is the No. 1-ranked player in the class of 2026 and played with Dybantsa at Prolific Prep a few years ago.

Here’s why Bernardi believes Peterson is better than Dybantsa:

“I think Darryn offensively creates far more advantages,” Bernardi said. “He can create for others. He’s a better shooter. He creates more separation (from) his primary defender. He’s a better passer. I think he’s also a better individual and team defender.”

There’s at least one thing that Bernardi believes Dybantsa is better at, however.

“I think if you go down the list, probably the only thing AJ has is positional — is his length,” the coach said. “Darryn is the better functional athlete. He really checks a lot of the boxes.”